


the five times ryan wakes up screaming

by idkspookystuff



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Closeted Character, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Secret Relationship, Shane is a good boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 23:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12468228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idkspookystuff/pseuds/idkspookystuff
Summary: Ryan stands sheepishly at the end of his bed and says, “okay, but, like. I might scream.”orryan has night terrors and shane helps make the world a little less scary.





	the five times ryan wakes up screaming

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know what happened.
> 
> about a month ago i posted on twitter: "why do people ship the buzzfeed unsolved guys."
> 
> and now here i am.
> 
> follow me [on tumblr](http://gorgeousdan.tumblr.com) for more questionable rpsing

**1.**

Ryan stands sheepishly at the end of his bed and says, “okay, but, like. I might scream.” 

Shane laughs a little incredulously. At first, he thinks Ryan’s definitely fucking with him - a reference to nights they spent in haunted houses, factories, warehouses. 

“Why?” Shane asks. “Am I that scary?” He gets into the bed and looks up at Ryan, who wasn’t moved from his position at the foot of his bed. “C’mon, Ry.” 

“I’m serious,” says Ryan. “I have night terrors.” 

Shane leans against his elbows and sighs. “Ryan, I’ve spent millions of nights with you - this is no different. Except this time we’re in my house instead of some fucking freezing house filled with mice and bats. You’re not going to scream.” 

Ryan sighs. “Fine,” he says. He gets into bed and is purposefully on the other side of Shane - Shane’s been around him long enough to know his  _ ‘You fucked up, Madej’ _ face. 

Shane bites his lip. “Hey, Ryan,” he says gently. When there’s no reply from Ryan, he pulls him in closer. Ryan doesn’t protest, but he pointedly does not look at Shane. “I didn’t mean to do that whole-” he waves his hand “-dismissal thing.”

“Yeah?” Ryan asks. His voice sounds harsh. “Well, you did.” 

“What I mean is that you’re safe,” Shane says softly. Ryan kind of melts at that. “I’ll keep you safe. There’s nothing scary here. You’ll be okay.” 

Ryan sighs. “Okay,” he says after a while. He turns so his face is pressed into the soft cotton of Shane’s shirt, tangles their legs together. Shane drapes an arm over Ryan’s waist, tangling their fingers together. It’s cute. 

Shane kisses Ryan’s head and is asleep in minutes.

-

Around one in the morning, Shane wakes up to a bloodcurdling scream.

He’s up in a second, scans the room to make sure someone’s not about to attack him. When he doesn’t find anyone, he turns his attention to Ryan, his heart thumping. Ryan’s sitting up, shaking like a leaf, screaming at the top of his lungs. 

“Ryan,” Shane says desperately. He has no idea what’s happening, but he’s fucking terrified. He thinks Ryan must be having an attack of some sort, some kind of horrible health problem. “Ryan, Ryan, hey,” he says again. He grabs Ryan’s hands and squeezes. “Ry, come on, dude. Please.” He gets his phone with one hand, holds Ryan close with the other and is about to call an ambulance when Ryan finally stops screaming. 

“S-Shane?” he asks. His voice is slurred by sleep, his body still shaking. “W-what-” 

Shane rubs his back gently. “Are you okay?” he asks. When Ryan nods, “the fuck was that?” 

“W-was I screaming?” Ryan asks. He seems pretty calm, except for the fact that he’s shaking like a leaf and can’t breathe right. 

“Yeah,” Shane answers.

Ryan gives an anxious little laugh. “It’s a night terror, dumbass,” he tells Shane. “I fucking told you that would happen.” 

“Oh my god,” Shane says. He laughs a little. “Scared the shit out of me.” 

Ryan gives him a sheepish smile. “Happens.”

**2.**

The next time it happens, they’re in a hotel with the Unsolved crew and Shane wakes up to his boyfriend screaming.

“Ryan?” he hears from a door over and, oh shit, someone’s gonna come check in on them. If it had been any other situation, Shane would have booked it to his bed so that no one knew that they were sleeping together, but Ryan’s afraid and that takes precedence over everything. 

“Ry,” Shane says. He shakes Ryan a little. “Come on, dude, wake up, you’re okay.”

Their cameraman runs into the room and looks between Shane and Ryan with wide eyes. “The fuck is going on?” he asks, and he looks rightfully terrified. 

“It’s fine,” Shane informs him, perhaps harshly. He goes back to shushing Ryan, rubbing his arms, squeezing his hands. “Ryan, come on. You’re okay. You’re okay, c’mon.”

Ryan collapses shaking into his arms, wheezing as he sobs into Shane’s shirt. This must have been a bad one, Shane thinks as the tears soak through his shirt. He wraps his arms around Ryan - closet be dammed - and rocks him gently. “I’m here, Ry. I’m not leaving. I got you. I love you.” 

“I-” Ryan wheezes again. “Oh god.” 

Shane kisses the top of Ryan’s head and turns to their cameraman. “We’re good,” he says.

He just nods and walks out of the room.

**3.**

Ryan falls asleep in a rare quintessential day off for the both of them. They were watching a movie - some Disney shit Ryan loves and Shane loves to poke fun at - when Ryan dozed off. Now, Shane runs a hand through Ryan’s hair, matching his breathing to Ryan’s until they’re the same, intertwined in every way.

Ryan’s breathing picks up suddenly. He whines under his breath, turns so that his face is pushed into Shane’s thigh. Shane smirks because he’s pretty sure he knows what’s happening. “Such a teenager,” he mutters under his breath as he squeezes Ryan’s thigh. 

Ryan sits up suddenly and screams and Shane’s heart drops.

“Ry, baby,” Shane says softly. He’s never seen one of these things in the daylight when he’s wide awake but it’s terrifying. Ryan looks like he’s awake, but his eyes are glazed over. It’s like he’s possessed. 

Jesus, this scares Shane more than any paranormal investigation they’ve ever fucking been on.

“Ryan,” he says more forcefully now. “Ryan, Ry, come on. You’re okay.” 

Ryan collapses against the couch, his breathing shallow. “Oh, fuck,” Shane says. He falls to his knees next to the chest and shakes his boyfriend. “Ryan, Ryan, please.” Tears well up in his eyes and he knows he’s being ridiculous but he’s so fucking scared because Ryan’s never not woken up before. “Ryan,” he chokes.

“Whaddya want?” Ryan mutters as if Shane just woke him up from a really nice nap and not a situation where Shane’s sobbing. Shane squeezes his hand and sobs brokenly. 

Ryan looks up at him. “Shane,” he says gently. He brushes the tears from Shane’s face and presses a kiss to his lips. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” 

“I-” Shane laughs a little brokenly because he realizes how ridiculous he looks, but now that he’s started crying it’s like he can’t stop. “I’m just overreacting, I guess.” 

Ryan gives him a little smile. “You never overreact.” 

Shane hiccups. “Happens.”

**4.**

Ryan looks exhausted as Shane passes him in the breakroom.

He’s on his fourth cup of coffee, Shane knows from working next to him all day. The dark circles are intense under his eyes, his face dark and downcast. 

Shane watches as he pours an entire packet of sugar in his coffee and has to intervene.

“Ryan,” Shane says. He presses a gentle hand to Ryan’s back. It probably looks friendly to the outside observer, but Shane can feel Ryan melt into the contact. “You look exhausted, dude.” 

Ryan looks back at him. “I haven’t been sleeping,” he says. 

Shane thinks he knows why, but Steven’s walked into the room so instead he asks, “why?”

“Nightmares,” Ryan answers. “Been keeping my girlfriend up.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t mind,” Shane says, gives Ryan a look that he hopes translates into how little he minds.

Steven laughs from across the room. “I would be annoyed,” he teases. “All those paranormal adventures with Shane are fucking you up.” 

Ryan laughs, and Shane’s sure he’s not the only one who can tell how fake it is. “Yeah, probably,” he says. He clinks his nails against his mug and goes, “excuse me,” as he walks out of the room.

Steven sighs. “Did I do something?” he asks Shane.

Shane shakes his head. “No,” he answers. He steps past Steven and walks down the hallway until he finds Ryan at his desk, frantically editing a video. Shane sighs, but he knows when to pick his battles. 

\- 

Shane walks past the breakroom when he hears the bloodcurdling scream from inside.

Their entire office is gathered around a couch, where Ryan’s apparently having another night terror. Shane’s heart drops to his throat as he makes eye contact with Steven through the crowd. Some people are trying to help Ryan, others trying to shake him awake, others too afraid to intervene, but none of them are helping - he  _ knows _ . He can help. 

“Shane,” Steven asks. “What the fuck is going on?”

“It’s a night terror,” Shane says. “Move.” Then, when no one gets out of his way. “Move!” 

He feels like kind of a dick for yelling at his coworkers, but he’s the only one who knows what’s happening. Ryan hasn’t told anyone about his night terrors - feels kind of childish for having them in the first place. Hell, Shane didn’t even know until Ryan slept in his bed the first time. He’s the only one who knows how to help. 

He kneels next to the couch and squeezes Ryan’s hands. “Ry, c’mon. You’re at work, Ry. Wake up.” 

Ryan stops screaming as he wakes up. He looks at Shane first and squeezes his hands back, but then he seems to notice their coworkers surrounding them with looks of shock.

“Oh god,” Ryan says, and then, because he’s an emotional fucker, he cries. 

Shane rubs his back. “Sh,” he says as Ryan sobs into his shirt. “You’re okay.” He looks back at the group behind him. “He’s fine,” he informs the crowd. “You can move along, now.”

He holds Ryan close until everyone leaves.

**5.**

The next time Ryan wakes up screaming, Shane’s right there with a blanket and a water bottle and soft words of approval.

It’s his duty as a housemate, after all. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> leave comments so we can talk about our spooky boys  
> [-hunt](http://gorgeousdan.tumblr.com)


End file.
